King’s official portrait for public buildings unveiled

A new official portrait has been unveiled of the King – ready to hang in public buildings across the UK as part of a controversial £8 million Government-funded scheme.

Charles is pictured in full regalia inside Windsor Castle wearing his Royal Navy uniform as an Admiral of the Fleet and an abundance of official medals and decorations.

The monarch was captured last year by photographer Hugo Burnand, who also took the King and Queen’s coronation portraits and their 2005 wedding photos.

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A serious-looking Charles stands in the royal residence’s Grand Corridor as he rests his right hand on his pristine white gloves on an antique table and grasps a sword in his left.

Councils, courts, schools, police forces and fire and rescue services are among the UK institutions now able to apply to claim the formal, framed portrait of the monarch for free.

The Cabinet Office said the move carries on the tradition which saw many institutions display official portraits of Queen Elizabeth II.

But anti-monarchy campaign group Republic branded the initiative a “shameful waste of money” when it was announced ahead of the coronation last year.

Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said: “At a time when a majority of local councils are raising taxes and cutting public services, when schools and hospitals are struggling, to spend even £1 on this nonsense would be £1 too much.”

He added: “The Government has lost the plot if they think people want their money spent on pictures of Charles. They need to scrap this scheme and direct the money where it’s really needed.”

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: “The accession of His Majesty The King marked a new chapter in our